As of the next academic year in 1444 AH, women must be assigned as teachers in the fourth grade of elementary schools in the Jeddah governorate, according to the Ministry of Education.

Jeddah's Department of Education received an urgent circular from the ministry.

Sources at the ministry told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the decision only applies to private and foreign schools in Jeddah. According to the sources, "this directive is being implemented in the Jeddah governorate on an experimental basis, and it may be extended to all regions of the Kingdom in the future."

In the circular, the ministry clarified that this decision regarding grade four is in line with the success achieved after assigning female teachers to teach students from the first through the third grades in private and foreign girls' schools. According to the circular, the ministry also wants to enhance teaching and learning environments and support investment in private general education.

Before the outbreak of Coronavirus in September 2019, the Ministry of Education announced that women would teach boys up to the third grade of elementary public schools for the first time in the Kingdom.

According to the ministry, hiring female teachers is part of the Early Childhood Schools Project, which focuses on facilitating elementary students' transition to the next phase of their education.

Several scientific and behavioral studies were conducted to determine the most efficient methods of early education, according to the ministry. Studies have found that female teachers contribute to education in a positive way. The presence of female teachers in classrooms eases communication between teachers and parents, according to the ministry.